We never tire of big. Big’s our buddy. Big’s our pal. Big makes the world better. Case in point: This massive casting machine—the largest ever made—that Tesla is using to produce aluminum parts for its Model Y electric crossover vehicle.
Called the OL 6100 CS, the new “Gigapress” weighs 800,000 pounds and is approximately the size of a small house. It’s so ginormous that Tesla had to make it outside its Freemont, CA, plant and build a roof over it. The machine is manufactured by Italian die-casting company IDRA, makers of the world’s largest die casting machines, which have a clamping force of up to 6,200 tons.
This is a big step forward for automaking and metal forming. Tesla has long been about doing dramatically different auto assembly to produce a more durable and efficient product. “When we get the big casting machine,” Elon Musk explained in a podcast, “it’ll go from 70 parts to one, with a significant reduction in capital expenditure on all the robots to put those parts together.”
Big. Tough. More efficient. Sounds like ad copy for Hamilton products.